Tatsuki woke up beside Mai, again. She wasn't in her own bed, again. Sun light poured into the window revealing about four people sleeping on the floor. Four people she remembered from last night, but did not know. Tatsuki sat up slowly, trying not to wake up anyone.
"Sorry Mai." She muttered as she left the girl, again.
She walked downstairs and found a bunch of people passed out. Keigo was still awake, but barely. He was rocking back and forth.
"Fuck… fuck… fuck." He muttered trying to light a cigarette.
Tatsuki examined him, he had been up all night and was coming down from whatever drug he took, "Hey man. Let's go." Tatsuki said holding out her hand for him.
"Go where?"
"Home."
She helped him up and then lit his cigarette for him. She smirked at him.
"Where is everyone else?" she asked.
"Fuck… fuck… I don't know." He said as if everyone were gone forever.
She peaked into the kitchen, "They've gone home." She quickly decided not to worry Keigo. " I'll walk you to yours." She offered.
"To my what?" he asked taking a hit.
"Home."
He thought, and then walked out of the door, Tatsuki followed him, then down the street, back to the park.
"Don't judge me" he said changing his tone. The silence was broken.
"I don't judge." She quickly replied.
"Then don't think less of me." He raised his voice.
"You're being paranoid."
He smiled.
"I think you're having a bad trip. It'll wear off soon. Go lie in bed and sleep it off." She assured him.
"Yeah… " he thought. "Fuck." He smiled agreeing with his friend.
"You think your dad will mind?" she asked changing the subjet.
"Fuck, I don't know." He frowned.
They stood in silence for a minute, Keigo not wanting to be alone, and Tatsuki longing for it. She saw that he was hurting, the pain showed through his eyes as fidgeted with his hands.
"That's your house. Go on." She said pointing at a one story house wider than hers. The neighborhood was entirely different. Instead of small two story houses that all looked the same, Keigo's neighborhood was full of one story houses that had the same lay out.
"I don't think your dad's home." She sighed noticing that there wasn't a car under the car port.
Keigo was quiet.
"Keigo?" she asked.
"I'm going." He muttered.
"Sleep." Tatsuki reminded him.
Keigo didn't reply.
"You alright man?" she asked.
"Yeah! Fine… fine. I'll see you later." He said walking to the side of his house where his window was. Keigo knew he had to be quiet incase his dad was home. He was in no position to talk to his father. He slid the window open with ease because he had already broken it in case of a time like this. He held the window up with one hand and crawled in. Feet planted on his hardwood bedroom floor, he gently and quietly put the window down. He examined his room, an utter mess, but he didn't care.
He walked over to his queen sized bed, which consisted of two mattresses on the floor and a dark blue blanket lying on top. He crawled underneath the sheets, without taking off any of his clothes or shoes for that matter, and fell asleep.
"Keigo!" a loud voice yelled followed by a bang.
"Are you in here?" the man's voice asked again.
Keigo was silent, "you're not real." He muttered, hallucinating his father.
There was no reply. He laid with his eyes open, the room fell quiet.
"Keigo." A familiar soft voice said.
"You're defiantly not real." He muttered closing his eyes, forgetting his mother.
When he awoke this time, it was about three in the afternoon. He threw the covers off of his bed and carefully walked to the door, pressing his ear against the door and listening.
He opened the door and walked out into the dim lit hallway. He bit his lip.
His house looked horrible, blood on the walls and floor, debris all over the hallway, and a bad smell. Keigo walked across the hall to another room, his dad's room. Blood was all over the bed.
He shook, "What happened?"
He looked down the hallway, to afraid to walk into the rest of his house. He could see furniture was flipped over, and someone shuffling around. His back was turned Keigo. Keigo's mentality changed instantly, someone was in his house, now he had to get out before he was noticed.
Keigo took a few steps back, quietly. He made it to his room, and shut the door, which made a click.
"Who the hell is that?" an unfamiliar voice cried out in panic.
Keigo ran to the window and jumped out. As he did, he heard his door open.
"Who the hell is in here?" the man demanded an answer.
Keigo lay in the bushes outside his window as he gathered his thoughts. He needed to run. So he did.
In Town
"She was drunk, I wasn't going to take advantage of her." Chad muttered at the café.
"You should've man! She's real cute." Mizuiro laughed.
"But she's so tiny... Chad would break her." Ichigo assumed.
"She is tiny…" Mizuiro muttered.
"Oh, hey mate." Ichigo said as Keigo walked in.
"Hey man."
"You going to eat?" Mizuiro asked
"Yeah, starving!"
"How are you feeling?" Chad asked refering to the trip.
"Fine, a little… tired, but I'm fine."
"Yeah, you were dancing like mad." Ichigo laughed.
"You all left without me. Cheers." Keigo glared.
"Shut the hell up you druggie." Ichigo spat back
Keigo walked towards Ichigo and took a swing, Chad blocked Keigo's punch with his fist. He looked at Keigo and shook his head.
"You want to fight me?" Ichigo asked mockingly.
Keigo glared at Ichigo.
"Calm down." Chad demanded.
"Come on Keigo, I'll go get some food with you." Mizuiro said patting Keigo on the back.
Keigo looked at Ichigo, who was smiling at him. Keigo sighed, "Whatever."
Mizuiro patted his friend again, "Bigger man." he assured him.
"I'm over it." Keigo said approaching a food stand.
"What do you want?" Mizuiro asked.
"Chips and some sandwiches." he replied.
"Alright." his friend replied.
This is not an unordinary action. Mizuiro usually pays for Keigo's food. Something about his dad is all Mizuiro knew about his situation. After eating, the two freinds were in conversation.
"I think you should get a job." Mizuiro suggested.
"Yeah, I've got to start taking care of myself… financially." Keigo replied.
"Alright man, well if you need anything… you know I'm here. And I do mean anything." Mizuiro smirked.
"Yeah, you know, I think I'm going back home to sleep." Keigo said.
"Alright man, laters." Mizuiro said and left Keigo. He walked back across the street where his lazy friends Chad and Ichigo were still sitting.
"Well, you buy him lunch?" Ichigo asked. he was still in a bad mood.
"Hey, shut up man." Mizuiro replied.
"He's the biggest mooch I've ever met." Ichigo laughed.
"Is not. He's got problems." Mizuiro defended.
"He'll have more if he doesn't watch it." Ichigo said then took a sip of his drink.
Mizuiro sighed.
After Mizuiro was out of sight, Keigo brought out his phone.
Mizuiro was Keigo's best friend, and they were tight, but somethings, Keigo thought his friend didn't need to know. He thought and thought.
Tatsuki had already heled him today, Orihime was to sweet, Ichigo is a jerk and Chad probably wouldn't help him out. Keigo sighed as he pulled out his phone.
"Hello… yeah, Rukia… you think you could meet me…?"
Later:
"You ddin't have to go this far." Keigo muttered.
"Where else could I take you?" she replied leading him down a hotel hallway.
"You didn't even have to do this… I don't have any money."
"Keigo." Rukia demanded stopping to turn around and look at him, "Keep your mouth shut, we can't talk about it here."
Rukia led him up the elevator and to a small room in the middle of the hallway.
"Room 1608" she said opening the door.
Keigo walked in and examined the hotel room, very nice one bedroom with a fridge, tv, and bathroom. Standard hotel room.
"Nice room." He smiled.
"Only the best." She smiled back.
They fell silent again, Keigo looked down.
"Look, you're like, one of my mates girlfriend… and I feel bad for… asking but." He stuttered
"It's fine." Rukia said cutting him off and sitting down on the bed, listening to him.
"But what about the gang?"
"No one has to know." She assured him.
"Ichigo is going to know." He said.
"I'll handle him." She said and giggled.
"Last night… if I was at home…" Keigo said almost in tears
"Hey, it's okay." She said making him sit down.
Keigo began to shake, "You guys know I'd never touch that… crack messes you up man. Why my mom left."
Rukia sighed, "Poor Keigo."
He cleared his voice, "I don't know who's blood that is... Did he kill someone? If so that means he's on the run... but if not and someone killed him, are they after me too or was it a random act of violence?" he thought out loud.
Rukia listened, "I don't know." she said.
He smiled, "That's not very reassuring."
"But for now, I can help you out." Rukia said trying to cheer him up.
"I know. You are." He said.
"So!" Rukia said getting down to business. "This is my father's hotel, and as you know I run the lobby. So this room will always be 'booked'." she said using air quotations.
Keigo smiled, "Brilliant."
"So just keep it quiet." she demanded
"If you throw a party, I'll throw you out." She smiled seriously.
Keigo nodded, exploring his new found fear of Rukia.
"Don't think of it as charity." she said walking towards the door.
"But that's what it is." He frowned.
She nodded, "You owe me." She smiled and shut the door.